Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon
by The BlakRoz
Summary: So what I did for those of you who have actually played the game was imagined what it would be like if Max or whatever your person's name is remembered everything form the very begining, instead of at the almost end when Kane is dying. BasicStoryLine.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_In ages long forgotten…Light fought Darkness…for control of the world…Dark Dragon led the evil hordes of Darkness…The Ancients fought back with the Powers of Light…Dark Dragon was defeated and cast into a different dimension…the Lord of Darkness vowed to return in 1,000 years._

_Time passed…and Dark Dragon was forgotten by all...the land of Rune enjoyed ten centuries of peace…until the kingdom of Runefaust brought war and fear to Rune…hordes of evil creatures ravaged the land…here and there, strongholds of good still held out…awaiting a Hero who could wield the powers of Light!_


	2. The Other Prologue

**The Other Prologue**

Just in case you were wondering who that 'Hero' was…well…I found out that it's me. Against my will, as usual. I'm also kind of an only child right now, because my twin brother, Kane, was kidnapped, although brother-napped would be a more appropriate word, by my older brother, Darksol, who not only killed my mother, whose name I never knew, but he also wants to resurrect my father, Dark Dragon, who was defeated by my grandparents, The Ancients.

Yeah, I know: my family has a _lot_ of problems.

See, what happened was this: my grandparents, The Ancients, made my dad, Dark Dragon, to destroy the rebellious creatures they had made. My mother, luckily, was loyal to them.

They originally made him with a heart and called him White Dragon, and had the power to change from a dragon to a human man, which was the side mom fell head-over-heels for.

But White Dragon in dragon form, a.k.a. Dark Dragon with a heart, wasn't' strong enough to defeat _all_ of the rebellious creatures. So the Ancients took his heart out while he was resting in dragon form, thus creating Dark Dragon. It had been a few years after they first created him, but whenever he was in human form, he was with mom, and the Ancients took his heart out when Darksol was seven and Kane and I were 6. Great timing, right?

Well, you can probably see now that the Ancients aren't very smart. Guess what? You're right! My grandparents were about as dumb as a sack of hammers…or worse. But no one told them this because they had 'Almighty Power' and nobody wanted to get on their bad side.

After they had taken White Dragon's heart out and turned him into Dark Dragon, an unexpected little twist happened: they were thinking he would get rid of the rebellious creature. Well, let's put logic here and see if it works: Dark Dragon has no heart, and therefore is evil. The rebellious creatures are evil. So you can probably guess what's going to happen next.

Dark Dragon didn't destroy the rebellious creatures, but instead, he joined them.

And then all hell broke loose.

War erupted when Kane and I were 10, and Darksol was sides fought. Dark Dragon was eventually caught and locked up. The rebellious creatures were destroyed, surprisingly, by the Ancients. They hadn't sent him to a different dimension yet. That came when I was 15.

Dark Dragon had been locked up for five years. Darksol, being stupid, wanted to see his dad again. So he let him out. Didn't think about the rest of us at all. Nope. Not one time did he ever think about the danger he would be putting on the rest of us.

This was when the Ancients threw Dark Dragon into another dimension and he 'vowed to return in 1,000 years' and all that fun stuff.

The Ancients had to choose one man and one alone to control the power within Dark Dragon. Because Darksol was the eldest of us, and he somehow broke the very complicated and almost impossible lock to the dungeon, they chose him. They wielded his body and mind to make him the 'brain' of Dark Dragon.

Then, they chose two people to go forward in time, so when Dark Dragon was resurrected, someone would be there to stop him. Since Kane and I were the only people who didn't get injured in some way from the attack that followed Dark Dragon's release, they chose us. We got put into a machine where we would sleep for a thousand years. It was so hard for me. I was really close to my mom, and leaving her…I just couldn't do it. I will _never_ forget that day…


	3. Going to Sleep

**Going To Sleep**

"I can't do this, Mom," I kept saying between sobs, over and over again. "I can't do this."

"You have to, sweetheart," Mom kept saying. "Everything will be fine. Don't worry."

"How can she _not_ worry?" Kane was on my side. "We're _nev_-_ver_ going to see you again."

"Kane, honey," Mom said in a sweet voice that quickly changed to harsh. "Not helping." She snapped.

The machine was more like a deep freezer. Kind of…it's hard to explain. We weren't going to be frozen, in fear that we might die, we were just going to be sleeping for a really long time. It wasn't soft, like a bed, or, at least, that's how you would think of it from first sight. It was made of metal and looked very uncomfortable. But on the inside, it was just like a bed.

We were already in it, and it was turned on. Now it would only be a matter of time before she would be gone.

Forever.

I was starting to get tired. Knowing that is was just the machine, I kept trying to resist it. But failed miserably when Mom started singing my lullaby, the one I had when I was a baby.

"Hush now, my baby, be still love don't cry. Sleep as you're rocked by the stream. Sleep and remember my last lullaby, so I'll be with you when you dream." She had changed a part. It used to be 'Sleep and remember my dear lullaby'. Dear, not last. Great, she changed it just for today.

And it worked, just like she probably thought it would. My eyes closed, but I wasn't fully asleep. I could still hear everything.

Including a huge explosion that almost opened my eyes.

People started screaming, and they were probably running. I knew it was Darksol—Dark Dragon was gone, and no one else was this evil or stupid.

"_Undlen asoeg matrosee_," I heard Mom whisper. It was a spell that would keep Kane and I locked inside the machine; a spell that would keep Darksol from opening it and killing us; a spell that would be broken when the thousand-year sleep was over. That's what kind of spell it was.

I slowly faded into unconsciousness. The last sound I heard was Mom screaming, and a splash.


	4. When I Woke Up

**When I Woke Up**

I stirred. I was so uncomfortable this morning. My eyes still closed, I stretched. I was so stiff. My hand brushed across something cold. I jumped back, my eyes flashing open, trying to find the most logical explanation. Had Darksol pulled me out of bed and dragged me outside again? But as I looked around, I only saw the cold blackness of metal.

Everything flooded back to me.

I woke up because I was in a machine, to sleep for 1,000 years and then go stop my older brother from resurrecting my father, Dark Dragon. Kane was a few yards away from me, probably waking up as well. I tried to remember what had happened right before I fell asleep.

An explosion…screaming…a spell…more screaming…a splash…

A lullaby…

I pushed on the glass window, trying to get out, to see if what I had heard was someone else or was the truth. The truth I did _not_ want to accept.

The door gave way easily—the bolts and screws had rusted off—and I climbed out.

Everything was so different. There were piles of rubble almost everywhere and bones of dead people scattered in different places—I held back the thought that one of the piles of bones used to be in the body of my mother.

There was a clinking noise behind me. I turned, ready to fight, but was suddenly relieved to see who it was.

"Kane!" I exclaimed as my twin brother climbed out of his metal bed. Once he was out I threw myself around him, thankful that I still had him. He embraced me tightly, obviously grateful as well. Kane was about five minutes older than me, making me the youngest in the family and him the one who was supposed to protect me.

"What happened to this place?" he asked, looking around. "I don't remember Metapha looking like _this_ when we fell asleep."

"That's because it happened while you were sleeping," a new voice said; one that was all too familiar to me, and one I had hoped I would never have to hear it again.

Kane and I turned quickly. He took a few extra steps in front of me to protect me from Darksol, if that ended up the case.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Kane asked. "You're supposed to be _dead_!"

"As are you two, yet here you are," Darksol sneered back. "But since your not, I might as well tell you what's going to happen next."

"And what might _that_ be, Darksol?" I interjected. "How you're going to redecorate your room?" I didn't use my sarcasm very often, but when I did, I usually got into trouble.

"Ah, RiyLee," he pronounced my name wrong, as he always did when he was trying to tick me off. It's RiyLee, like Riley. Not Reelee. That name is just weird. "You really _should_ learn how to keep that mouth of yours shut. Bad things might happen to you."

"Like what?" Kane and I asked together. My hand slowly slid towards my pouch, tied around my waist. It held the important things they gave to me before I got into the machine. Kane had one just like mine, only his was black and mine was white. And there was one item inside that was different, yet still the same.

The Light Saber belonged to me; the Dark Saber was Kane's. Combined together will make the Chaos Breaker: the weapon that will officially seal Dark Dragon away forever.

And no matter what the outcome we absolutely could not without a doubt let Darksol get _anywhere_ near these two swords at all whatsoever.

Darksol smiled a truly evil smile. Only now did I see that they had completely destroyed what used to be my brother and replaced him with the very essence of evil: Dark Dragon's brain. I was never going to think of him as my father again; nor Darksol my brother.

"What's in the bag, RiyLee?" he said, almost like he knew what was in here. "What are you hiding in there?"

"Nothing that belongs to you, that's for sure." I answered, pure hatred in my voice.

"Nor is it any of your business." Kane said with the same voice.

"Come on; let's find out what it is." Darksol said the same words he said when he was trying to convince us to help him open the dungeon the imprisoned Dark Dragon. He took one step towards us. Yes, he knew _exactly_ what was in the bag—both in mine _and_ Kane's—and he wanted them. Bad.

"Darksol," Kane said, still with the voice I had used, "these are _ours_. You have no business with them _at all_."

"Who said I was going for the Sabers?" I froze. He knew about them, and about what they would do. This was going to get interesting.

He blew something in our direction, very quickly, almost like it was an attack; which it was. The air had turned green with poison. Kane and I were immune to it, since we were trained for things like this since the war erupted practically 1,005 years ago. But the 100 Adam-type robots that were with us reacted, all but one. Chaos, their leader, along with the rest of the 99 were corrupted. The last Adam was hiding in the back, away from the air.

The robots immediately started attacking us. Reflexively, Kane and I pulled our Sabers out. Mine glowed a bright yellow; Kane's a striking yet brilliant black. I was able to keep some of them off me, but Kane did the rest. I was almost useless. Darksol just hid in the background, watching.

"RiyLee! I'll hold them off!" Kane shouted at me. "You've got to get out of here!"

I just stood there and stared at him. Kane was the only family member I had left that was a) still on my side and b) alive. Why would I leave him? Why did he even _consider_ the possibility that I would, or could, leave him? How _could_ I leave him?

"RiyLee! Go! Now!" Kane yelled at me again. This time the last Adam, the one who wasn't corrupted, came up to me and pulled lightly on my sleeve.

"Come, Lord RiyLee! We must go now!" it started pulling me backwards, but I quickly turned around and ran towards the door to the portal. It would get us out of here.

Before I stepped into it I looked behind me one last time. This was a _huge_ mistake. Robots were piling up on Kane. I wanted to help him, but if Dark Dragon was going to stay where he was, then I needed to go. Kane was fully covered in heavy metal robots now. I took a few steps back towards him, but Adam grabbed my shirt. "Now, Lord RiyLee!" I turned, unwilling, and quickly walked into through the door.

But not before I heard Kane gasp out in pure agony, and Darksol mutter to himself, yet still loud enough for me to hear, "Well, one is better than none."

I held back tears as the door closed and Adam and I were shot up through the portal and into someone's basement. We ran out, but first I cast a spell on the door. It wouldn't open until either I came back or Kane came out.


	5. Leaving

**Leaving**

Adam and I ran through the door to what we thought was a basement, and it was. But it was the basement to a castle. We just quietly ran through different corridors until we found a way out. Windows aren't the safest way to exit a building, but it was better than trying to find an actual door and then dealing with the guards. On the bright side, it was night, which meant we could steal a boat or something with very good chances of not getting caught. And even though it was dark, I could tell we were in Prompt. On the other bright side, we landed on sand instead of rose bushes, which were about two feet away from where we landed.

And where there was sand, there was beach, and where there was beach, there was water, and where there was water…well, you probably know where I'm going with this. But, just in case you don't: sand, beach, water, harbor, boat.

Adam and I jumped in the boat and he immediately started rowing. I had absolutely no clue where we were going, but I figured we'd reach shore eventually. I must've fallen asleep (which is weird, since I just spent the past thousand years sleeping) because when I woke up, we were being attacked. Either that, or nature was just going its thing, and I'm pretty sure it was the second.

We were being tossed and turned in the waves, trapped in a storm.

"Lord RiyLee!" Adam exclaimed, right before I got tossed overboard.

The sad part about living under ground, without enough water to make a swimming pool, is that you never learn how to swim.

I was under the surface before I had time to take an extra breath. Before I knew it, I couldn't even tell which way was my left or right, which way was up or down. My head popped up every now and again, but never enough to get a full breath in.

I don't know how long I was in the water, but I eventually passed out from lack of air.

And I never knew who pulled me out, or when they did, but the feeling of sand was the last thing I remember before losing consciousness again.


	6. When I Woke Up Again

**When I Woke Up…Again**

I heard voices; just little buzzing noises at first, but they slowly grew more defined.

"Do you think she's ok?"

"I wonder why she was out there during the storm."

"Is she hurt?"

One voice rang out a louder than the rest, probably trying to calm everyone down. I tried to breath, but found it difficult. I ended up coughing out water. My eyes slowly opened but closed again quickly from a bright blinding light. Another thing about living under ground is you never really see the sun. You see pictures of it, but never the full brightness of it.

"Young lady, are you all right?" someone asked me.

"I think so." I was able to reply back. "Where am I?"

"You are in Guardiana." The same voice answered.

I suddenly remembered very important things.

Adam was probably gone, since he was a robot, and technology and water aren't very good friends.

Kane was God knows where, and for I knew, Darksol could've finished him off.

But neither of these things were as important as…

My hand flew to my side…and hit my empty hip.

Shock ran threw me as I realized my pouch was gone…along with everything in it.

"My pouch. Where is it?" I said, very worried. If it came off while I was under the sea…I didn't even want to imagine about imagining about what would happen.

"You mean this?" a boy with really dark brown hair handed the familiar white bag back to me. I quickly grabbed and opened it. Everything that was supposed to be in there was. Except…

Oh. My. God.

I jumped up and ran to the edge of the beach. People wondered what I as doing, but only one person questioned me aloud.

"Madam, what are you doing?" an old centaur asked me.

"My sword is missing." Such a simple sentence, but the words tasted like vomit, mostly because they weren't words that were supposed to come out of my mouth.

"Was it in your pouch?" the centaur asked.

"Yes, so if you have it, I need it back, like, _now_."

"A young lady like you should not be carrying a sword such as that. And what you were doing with it in the first place, is what we're all wondering." He shook his head when I didn't answer. "It's in the Royal Treasury, a place _you_ won't be going until you get permission from The King."

I hooked my pouch back around my waist and looked at him. "Fine." I answered firmly. "Where's the castle?"

"Well, in all truth and honesty, I was on my way there until I saw all this craziness. Why don't I escort you myself?"

"Why don't you." I was not in the mood for this, but if it got me to the castle, and got my Saber back, sooner, then I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

We started walking along back up the beach; the crowd that had gathered around me dispersed quickly. The boy with the dark brown hair, the one who handed me my pouch, followed after us and soon caught up.

"By the way, my name is Lowe," he said. "I'm training to become a healer."

"And I," the centaur said, before I could introduce myself, "am Varios, captain of the knights of Guardiana, and one of the personal advisers to The King. And trust me on this: The King won't let someone like you into the treasury."

"We'll see about that," I mumbled.

"What's your name?" Lowe asked.

I flashed back to before Kane and I got into the machine. We had both promised Mom that if we ever got into any serious trouble, we wouldn't give out our real names. Thinking quickly, I came up with one, and without looking at either of them, I answered, "My name is Carlynda, and that sword belongs to me. I _need_ that sword, whether you think I do or not."

"Good luck with that," Varios muttered.

"There it is!" Lowe said excitedly and pointed at the ever-growing gray-ish building that was coming up over the horizon.

Guardiana Castle. This is where The King sat upon his throne and orders people around. The same place where my Saber was, inside a room somewhere. In a way, Varios had a point: I was just a girl; just some random person that washed up on the beach with an exotic sword. The King may _not_ grant me permission into the treasury because of the obvious evidence. And Kane and I promised Mom we wouldn't tell _anyone_ who we really were or where we came really came from…or what we were really doing here.

But, in the chances that The King _didn't_ grant me permission, I always had a back-up plan. This one was actually pretty simple: find where the treasury was, wait till everyone's asleep, sneak in, (I _may_ have to break a neck or two), get my Saber back, and then hi-tail it out of here.


	7. Meeting the King

**Meeting the King**

Lowe, Varios, and I went through the gate, and were soon in the Throne Room. Both Lowe and Varios bowed, and said in perfect synchronization, "Your Majesty." I rolled my eyes, folded my arms, and put my weight on my right foot.

The King nodded to them. They stood up, and then Lowe went over to stand by the wall.

"Hello, Varios," The King said, a smile on his face. Then, eyeing me, he said, "I see you have a tagalong." Varios simply nodded. The King, now actually looking at me, asked the same question Lowe did, just in a different form. "Who are you, young one?"

I stepped forward, and lifted my chin higher. "My name is Carlynda, and you have something that belongs to me."

The King's smile vanished, replaced with a look of confusion. "Oh? And what would that be, my dear one?"

I shook my head. "A sword."

The King's smile returned, along with a hearty laugh. "A young lady like you should be carrying around a sword! It's not proper."

I was really starting to get irritated. "I don't care if it's not 'proper'. I need that sword!"

The King stopped, and looked at me like I was starting to go crazy. "And why is that?"

"I can't tell you."

"Well, I can tell you it's in the Royal Treasury, but that's not somewhere you'll be going. Now why can't you tell me why you need it?"

"Because you wouldn't believe me."

"Is that so…hmmmm." Ok, this guy is seriously starting to get on my nerves.

"You said it was yours?"

"Yes, that's what I said when you asked me who I was."

"Do you have any way of proving that?"

I had to think about that. I remembered that if the Saber was somewhere in the room, or in another room and I knew where that room was, and I thought really hard about it being in my hand, then it would come to me.

"Yes, I do, actually," I said after a moment. "But in order to do so, the sword needs to at least be in the room."

The King shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

I groaned. So _not_ what I wanted.

"Your Majesty, if I may," Varios intercepted, "we could have the girl train with us to see if she really is who she says."

I looked at Varios questioningly. "Me? Train with _you_?" I laughed one hard, short laugh. "Yeah, whatever!"

"It's either that, or you can leave," the King threatened. I looked at him, then back to Varios, then back to him, and sighed.

"How long?" I did _not_ have the time, or patience, for this, but if it was the only way…

"A year, at least," Varios answered.

"Fine."

"Enjoy your new pupil, Varios," the King said.


	8. The Training Grounds

**The Training Grounds**

Varios motioned to Lowe. He came forward, like a golden retriever or something.

"Lowe, please take Carlynda to the training grounds, and make sure no knights start making fun of her or anything."

"Yes sir," Lowe replied. Then he gestured to me to follow him. He led me out of the castle, down the road, and over to a church. We went into the church, through a back door, and were suddenly outside, surrounded by a bunch of boys in heavy-looking armor.

"This is the training grounds," Lowe told me. Then he looked around and shouted over to one of the knights. "Hey, Ken!"

Ken jogged over. "Hey Lowe." Then, spotting me, he looked interested, like Lowe had just won the lottery or something. "Hey, I thought you were training to be a healer."

"I am," Lowe replied.

"Then who's the chick?" Ken asked with a teasing smile.

My mouth fell open. I stared at Ken like he had just insulted me…which he kind of had.

"This is Carlynda," Lowe said. "And she's not a 'chick'. She thinks one of the swords in the Royal Treasury belongs to her, so she's here to prove it."

"Whatever," Ken said, looking at me. "I've been here all my life, just like my father and my grandfather and my great-grandfather, and no one has ever claimed that one of the swords in the Royal Treasury belongs to them."

"It's not a _claim_," I said, quite irritated. "It really does belong to me. And I'm here to prove it because you people don't know how to accept the truth."

Varios walked in just then, and suddenly all the knights were in a straight line. Ken was standing up straight, and Lowe walked over to the stand by the wall again.

"At ease," Varios said. All the knights relaxed their positions just a little. Varios walked forward. "This," he gestured to me, "is Carlynda. She will be training with us for the next year or so." The vast majority of the knights were looking at me like I had gone crazy.

"Or so?" I asked, suddenly infuriated.

"Yes." Varios said calmly.

My right hand clenched into a fist, the way it usually did when I got upset. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and then let Varios continue explaining what the heck I was doing here.

"Permission to speak, captain," one of the knights in the front said.

"Permission granted," Varios said.

The knight looked uneasily at me before speaking again. "It's…a…_girl_." Emphasis on _girl_.

Varios nodded slowly. "Yes."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not an _it_. I'm an actual person," I smiled just a little, "who can kick your butt on your best day."

Varios looked interested, while the rest of the knights looked shocked, and some laughed out loud.

"Is that so?" Varios asked. "Well, then. Lowe get the girl a sword, and let's see what she can do."


	9. Told You So

**Told You So**

Lowe, again reminding me of a golden retriever, went and got me a sword. It was a little lighter then I was used to, but that didn't matter.

"Kevin, you're up." Varios commanded. The knight who pointed out the obvious fact that I was a girl walked up. The other knights gathered around in a circle. Kevin and I slowly started circling.

"So," I said, "your name is Kevin."

"Yes."

"Did you know Kevin means handsome?"

"Does it now?" he sounded like he was really interested.

"And Carlynda means beautiful and strong."

Kevin sighed. "That explains so much."

"Does it now?" I said with a smile. I had the perfect plan to get what I want, and I was just about to put it into action.

The sword Lowe gave me was in my left hand. I stepped on my right foot.

"Ow!" I fell down. Knights laughed all over, even Ken and Lowe. I lightly touched my ankle, then pulled back, wincing in pain.

Kevin laughed. "And this is why girls don't become knights."

The sword was still in my left hand. I reached my right hand out. "Will you help me up?"

"Sure." Kevin switched his sword from his right hand to his left and grabbed my hand to pull me up. But that didn't happen.

Instead, I pulled him down and grabbed his sword. He fell to the ground with a thud. I sliced the swords just an inch and a half away from his neck, forming an X. Kevin looked absolutely terrified. The rest of the knights just stood there, staring.

I leaned down so I could whisper to Kevin, "Note for the future: _nev_-_ver_ trust a girl with a broken ankle."

I got up, turned and walked away. The knights moved to create a path for me to walk. As I passed Varios, I whispered, "Told you so."


	10. One Year Later

**One Year Later**

The rest of the year went by pretty fast. According to Varios, I was 'too dangerous' to train with the rest of the knights, so he taught me alone. After training sessions, however, Ken and I spent a lot of time together on the beach…but I won't say much about that.

I was done. The deal I made with the King exactly one year ago was over. I made my way to the castle to get my Saber back.

But when I came up to the open door to the throne room, I stopped to listen to what the King and Varios were talking about.

"…And so, we summoned you, Varios." I heard the King say. I walked in silently, and listened.

"Hmm, this is grave news indeed," Varios mumbled. One of the guards gasped, and then ran out of the room. My cover was blown. Everyone turned to look at me. I smiled one of those 'sorry I'm in here without permission and I'm listening to your private conversation' smiles.

"Ahh, Carlynda!" They were still calling me by the name I gave them. "Come, I have something to discuss with you."

I approached with caution. "Yes?"

"There is an aura of evil about the Gate of the Ancients, to the east of this castle. Fortunately, Nova, our most able strategist, was able to detect this aura in time. The Gate of the Ancients is where the relics of the gods are sealed. We must act to protect it! But if I dispatch the Knights, it will only cause the people to worry needlessly."

I nodded slowly. "'Kay…and this involves me…how?"

"Varios, Nova, and Ward are the three most important men in the realm. Why don't you listen to what they have to say as well?" I knew the way he said that, he was trying to get out of telling me.

I turned toward Varios. He gestured toward Nova, so I turned that direction.

"The Gate of the Ancients has existed since the Age of the Gods. And beyond its sealed portal lies the Legacy of the Gods. We, the people of Guardiana, were charged with protecting this Legacy." Nova told me.

I turned back to Varios. He obviously didn't want to tell me exactly how this involved me, but he did. "Carlynda, we need you to lead a Force to the Gate of the Ancients. It pains me to have to ask you to do such a thing, but…"

"I agree with Varios," the King said. "I want you to go to the Gate of the Ancients. All I know of you is what you told us…but I believe in you. I can see it in your eyes—one who was born to fight. I feel I can trust you. What say you? Will you accept?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, back up a second." I said. "There's a specific reason why I'm here right now, and this is not it."

"Why did you come in here, then?" Varios asked.

"Um, hello? It's been a year. My 'training' is done—" I looked at the King and lifted my chin a little higher "and you have something that belongs to me."

Varios gasped. "That's right. Her year of training is done. She can collect her sword and then…"

"Please, Carlynda!" the King begged. "I know your year is up, but can you please just do this one thing for me?"

I looked around the room, at the different people. There was a maid dusting in the corner, trying not to listen, but probably couldn't help it. There were knights guarding different doors, looking very afraid. Ward was in the background, sulking over something. Nova, Varios, and the King had the same looks of begging.

I sighed. "When I come back, there better be someone in here who can lead me to the Royal Treasury."

There was a giant sigh of relief from everyone except me and Ward.

"Thank you, Carlynda." Nova said.

"You accept?" the King asked. I nodded. "Oh, thank you! Now, gather your comrades. Once you have done so, come and see me again."

"Head to HQ to find some companions. Do you know where it is?" Nova asked.

"The west side, right?" I guessed.

"Yes." Varios answered.

I nodded. Then turned and walked out the door, all the way through the castle, just to get outside. Then I turned to the right, and found the building I was heading for. There was a sentry waiting for me there.

"I've been waiting for you." He said. "Quick! Get inside!"

He rushed me inside and down a flight of stairs, then through a door. There was a huge room, filled with a bunch of stuff. I'm not going to get into specific detail.

"Hey, Carly," Ken said, using his little nickname for me. He was in the room, along with three other people.

"Hi, Ken," I said, kind of shocked. "So, what're you doing here?"

He nodded towards the other three. "Same thing they are."

"You're going with me to the Gate of the Ancients?"

"Yup."

I looked really shocked right now. "O…kay…"

A girl with bright pink hair stepped forward. "My name is Tao. I'm learning to be a mage. I still have a lot to learn, but I'll do the best I can." She smiled. I nodded, still kind of in shock.

"Ummm, I'm Hans," a boy with long white hair said. "I'm an archer—can't you tell? But… I'm not really good at fighting, but the King ordered me to, so…" he trailed off.

"I'm Luke. I'm a fighter. I joined the Knights to be like the legendary Gort. I'm as tough as anybody! Put me in the front line anytime!" this boy was a little on the small side, but he would do. He had short black hair, and a small smile lit up his face.

I snapped my fingers. "I remember you!" I told Luke. "You're one of the knights Varios wouldn't let me train with."

Luke nodded. "I remember you, too. Did you know Kevin was the very best of us until you came along?"

"I figured that out when everyone was staring at me like I was some kind of demon."

"You know you're not going to be able to use that ankle move on the battle field," Ken pointed out.

I shook my head. "Ken, you don't know Runefaust like I do." The image of Darksol popped into my mind. I knew he was causing trouble there, but I didn't know what or how much.

"Hey!" Lowe called from somewhere. He finished running down the stairs, breathing heavily. "Are you…guys…going to…the—"

"Gate of the Ancients?" Ken and I finished for him.

"Yeah…that place…" Lowe was still breathing heavy.

"Yeah. Why?" Ken asked.

"You wanna come with?" I asked.

"Please? Would you let me come with? Please?" Lowe started begging.

My eyes narrowed. "Would this have anything to do with the fact that you want to see me kick some random person's butt instead of your own?"

Lowe stopped for a moment. "No…yeah."

I rolled my eyes. "Figures."

"Well, well! It looks like you've found some companions." Nova said. "Now you must report to the King. I'll be waiting over there." he walked behind a table. I walked out of HQ altogether and went back to the Throne Room.

"Good luck, Lord Carlynda!" the sentry called. I looked back at him and smiled. Then ran full sprint ahead to the Throne Room.

I entered the Throne Room, and Varios wished me luck. "Good luck. I've been hearing strange rumors…some say they've seen goblins near the Gate of the Ancients. You take care of yourself."

"Are you ready?" the King asked. I nodded. " Good! There is a carriage at the gates. That carriage will take you to the Gate of the Ancients. Ah, but before that, take this to help you prepare for the journey. I suggest you buy a herb or two, just in case something happens." The King gave me a small bag. I opened it, and found 100 gold coins.

"Thanks."

"Your carriage is waiting. Use it to travel to the Gate. We're all counting on you, Carlynda!"

I walked out and went back to HQ. Everyone was still there. "Alright, everyone. The carriage is just outside the gates. Are we ready?"

There was a round of 'Whoo's and 'Yeah's and they all ran out. I was the last one out, and Ken was in front of me. I stopped him. "Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked him.

"Yes, Carly," he said. "Do you not want me out there with you?"

"No!" I answered a little too quickly. "I mean, I just think it might be a little too dangerous for some people…"

"You don't want me to get hurt, do you?"

I gave up. "No, I don't. And I don't want to see you get killed right in front of me."

"Well, I don't want to see either of those things happen to you, which is why I'm going."

Ken and I looked at each other and I eyes met. We kept getting closer and closer until…

"Hey, are you guys coming or not?" Lowe shouted from a couple yards away.

Ken and I immediately backed away with a jump.

"Yeah, we're coming," Ken shouted back. We both jogged towards the gate that led into Guardiana. There were two knights guarding it, and a carriage just a few feet in front of them. Ken passed through the gate and into the carriage before I did. Again, I was the last one.

"I already heard what's going on. Please be careful!" one of the knights at the entrance told me. The other one gave a little advice.

"This is awful. Try to stay out of danger. Retreat is an important tactic, you know."

I smiled, but shook my head. "Thanks, but the words 'retreat' and 'surrender' aren't in my vocabulary." The knight smiled.

Once inside the carriage, on the opposite side of Ken, both across and lengthwise, Nova came and climbed in. "Carlynda, are you sure you're ready to leave for the Gate of the Ancients?"

I nodded. "It's now or never."

Nova nodded. "Very well, then. Let's go!"


	11. In The Cave

**In The Cave**

"Where am I? Where's the wagon?" I was asking the wall. There was a noise behind me. I turned quickly and asked the question most sane people ask when there in a new place. "Who's there?"

"Now now! Don't look at me like that!" some weird person, at least I think it was a person, said. "Nothing fishy about me…well, maybe there is a little. I am Mawlock. I have come to you to ask a favor."

"A favor? What kind of favor?"

"Cards. You see, there are cards in this world with mysterious powers. You will have many chances to acquire these cards. Search in various places and listen to what people say, and collect as many as you can. They will surely be of great help to you in the future."

I reached inside my pouch and pulled out a thick card. It had my picture on it, and a little description of the power it contained. "You mean like this?" I showed it to him. He looked at it briefly, then nodded.

"Yes, exactly like that. I'm sure you'll find them extremely useful. Now then, I must be going. I have many things to do."

And then he just faded away.


	12. At The Gate

**At The Gate**

We got out of the carriage and walked towards the Gate. I could hear a Rune Knight giving orders out, sure enough, goblins.

"Move it, you goblins! Isn't there a switch or something?" he was yelling at the goblins. "Hyaah! Get a move on! There must be a key somewhere!" he groaned. "Grrr… All this searching and we still can't get this door open…" he turned around to yell at more goblins. "Hyaah! Get a move on!...huh? Wh-who goes there?"

"What are these guys, anyway…they're g-g-goblins!" Lowe was officially freaking out.

Tao spoke up. "And that knight's outfit…he's from Runefaust!"

The ground beneath us suddenly shook.

"Why was there a tremor?"

"The gate is collapsing…? Whatever. Take those guys out! Then we can keep searching! Goblins, ATTACK!" the Rune Knight ordered.

The battle was pretty short, but those goblins took a lot out of Lowe and Hans, and the Rune Knight took some out of Ken and me. We would need to find a place to heal and soon.

The Rune Knight gave us a warning before I finished him off. "…Y…you think you've won? …Ha ha ha ha ha. E…even now, Lord Kane of Runefaust is mounting an attack on Guardiana…Your country is already…Long live King Ramladu!"

And then he dropped dead. But I was freaking out inside. Kane was in Guardiana? He had found me and escaped Darksol?

"If what that Rune Knight was saying is true…This is terrible! Carlynda! Hurry! Back to the castle!" Nova cried.

Everyone hurried back to get carriage. But I was confused. Why was this terrible? Why was everyone freaking out over the fact that Kane was in Guardiana?

"Nova," Ken said, "Lowe, me, Hans, and Carlynda aren't ready to fight again. We need to find somewhere to rest…that isn't here with all the earthquakes."

"I saw a mountain hut to the east of here. Maybe they will let us stay for a little." I said.

"Alright," Nova said. "We'll head there."


	13. At The Hut and Back on the Battle Field

**At The Hut and Back on the Battle Field**

A strange man approached the carriage. He began talking to me at once.

"I am the travelling monk Gong. I travel the continent in search of truth. A night star led me here, where I have been awaiting your arrival."

"You've been waiting for me?" I asked, very confused. "Why?"

"Because it's fate." I didn't say anything, just stared at him like he had gone crazy.

"Fate led me here to join forces with you. I am at your disposal."

"Umm…ok…can you heal us?"

"Yes, I can, actually." Most of us climbed out and had Lowe and Gong heal us. We were done pretty fast, and were soon back to where we started…or, almost started.

"Carlynda, that earthquake blocked the road back to the castle! We'll have to take the northern pass and fight our way through!"

"Look!" one of the Rune Knights said; there were five. "Those fools from Guardiana have returned from the Gate! No one enters until Lord Kane finds what he's looking for! Don't let anyone through!"

Again, the battle was short, and we had learned. We stayed in small groups and defeated them one by one. And then we ran towards Guardiana.


	14. Destoryed Guardiana

**Destroyed Guardiana**

Everyone ran through the main entrance. One of the knights that guarded the entrance started talking to me. "It's a disaster! The Runefaust army suddenly invaded our kingdom!"

"We... we fought as... as hard as we could." The other one said. "We've driven them off, but…"

"What about the townspeople?" I asked. "Are they all right?"

"Luckily there were almost no casualties among the townspeople…but still…" the first one answered.

"We've taken heavy losses and most of our knights are down." The second one said.

"How could this have happened? While we were busy at the gate…so that's it…that was their plan all along..." I trailed off.

"There are still be enemies around the castle. Watch your backs!" the first one warned. Then he leaned in close to me. "I'd heard rumors…but Runefaust's Silver Knight…Kane! He's a monster! We all fought him together, but he was unbeatable…"

"Did you say Kane?" I asked.

"Yes. Why?"

But I didn't give him an answer. I just took off, full sprint towards the castle. Only two people stopped me: the two knights that guards the entrance to the castle. "Enemy knights are inside the castle! We've got no chance!" the first one said.

"K-K-Kane of Runefaust is inside the castle…the King may be in danger…" the second one said.

I walked right around them and opened the door. But what I heard and saw shocked me still.


	15. Hopes and Dreams Shattered

**Hopes and Dreams…Shattered**

There was a man, no, a boy in a white suit, made to look like a skeleton. He face was hidden behind a mask…unless his face was a skull. Varios was talking to him furiously.

"How many times must I tell you? We do not have a key to unlock the seal! The Gate of the Ancients must never be opened! There is no key! Now please leave us in peace, Kane!"

"…Humph. Maybe you are telling the truth. But I already have what I want…the Light Saber! This is a rare item, indeed! Truly a magnificent prize! The finest blade in Rune and the mirror of my Dark Saber!"

I was right: they did have my Saber. But I wasn't anywhere near saying anything, since I just found out certain things…

"The Light Saber? There's no such thing here!"

"Then what do you think I'm holding in my hand now? But enough of this. I have one more prize to claim…"

"Not so fast! Varios, captain of the Knights of Guardiana, will not allow it!"

"Dark Saber! Release your dark flame!" There was a flame that came out of nowhere, and before anyone could do anything about it, Varios was burned and the flame was gone.

I was absolutely shocked. So shocked, I didn't realize I had said anything until everyone was looking at me.

"Kane?"

"What are you doing here? This is no place for a young girl. You must leave! Now!"

"Kane…?"

"Who are you?" he asked me.

I took a few steps closer, trying to get a better view. There was no possible way this man was my brother. "Kane…" I sighed.

"That is my name. I asked for yours."

I shook my head, not wanting to believe, or answer. "Kane…no…" I realized what was going on, though I definitely didn't want to accept it.

Kane was with Darksol now.

I knew he was going to ask my name again, so instead of giving him the fake name I gave everyone else when I was first here, I decided that I would give him my real name, in hopes it would conjure up some sort of memory.

"I will ask once more!" Kane yelled, obviously very mad. "What is your name?"

"RiyLee."

"RiyLee?"There was a lot of commotion around me, and I knew why: they all thought my name was Carlynda.

"…RiyLee? That name…sounds familiar…" Kane groaned.

I walked forward until I was right in front of him. I was starting to lose my nerve. "It should, Kane." My voice was growing more and more desperate and almost cracked several times. "Fight it, Kane. Don't let Darksol win!" I'll tell you what Darksol was: the wrong word to say.

Kane snapped back. "My Master has a brilliant plan, and no one is going to stop it!"

I lost my nerve. "No! It's not a brilliant plan! It's a stupid plan! Created by a stupid person! Darksol is never going to get all the way thru this! And none of this would be happening if the stupid creatures were destroyed in the first place by the stupid Ancients!" Okay, I never had my nerve. There was a loud thunderclap outside. Oh good, they heard me: which I did _not_ care about right now.

"And that proves _they're_ still alive," someone whispered behind me.

"Wow," Kane said, mostly to himself. "You really are a brave girl…"

"That's something you already knew, Kane." I went back to jogging his memory; maybe that would help him, but it was going to be hard to not let any other information out…like how he and I were brother and sister. "You were born in Metapha, and Darksol was adopted. You were sent here with someone else to stop Darksol from reviving Dark Dragon." I grabbed Kane's shoulders. "Don't give in! Don't let Darksol win you over!" Again, the wrong words to say. But what was there left to say that wouldn't break the promise Kane, the boy right in front of me, and I had made to our, _our_, mother.

Kane freaked out. No, he didn't freak out. He just…got a little defensive…? I don't know how to put this nicely, or so it doesn't hurt again, so I'll just come out and say it.

Kane hit me.

He was just defending himself, I'm sure, but I don't know if it was the hit that hurt more, or if it was the fact that _Kane_ hit me.

His hand just came up through my arms and one of the corners on the glove made contact with my head. I fell to the ground, shocked. My left hand went up, clean, to the right side of my face and ran from my hairline to my chin. When I looked at it again, there was red liquid on it.

"There is no key for the seal. That's all I needed to know. I have no further business here!" and then Kane disappeared.

With my Saber.

I stood up. I was bleeding a lot, but I didn't care. There were more important people who were damaged and more important things to worry about.

"Ah, it's you RiyLee…" Great. The King remembered my real name from when I told Kane. "And Mae as well…" I looked behind me to see a bunch of shocked faces, probably from what I was saying to Kane and then my bleeding head, and Varios's daughter, Mae. "Varios tried to protect me, but it was already too late…Listen to me, young warrior. Even I do not know….what the Legacy of the Gods is…But I know that if it should fall into evil hands Rune will be...no more! The ancient castle wherein it sleeps was sealed by the gods…But…There exists a secret that can break the seal…You must find that secret before Runefaust does…and protect it! Do not fail me, RiyLee! You are Guardiana's last hope…"

I nodded. I was still too chocked to say anything.

"Mae, daughter of Varios…Hear my words…Help RiyLee in any way you can…and become a great warrior like your father."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Mae replied.

"RiyLee…Tell my daughter Anri…so strong…so kind…that I will always be…with her…"

And then the King died.

Tears were threatening to overpower me. I wanted so badly to run from the room, but Mae started talking to me.

"N…no…Father…and the king…How could this happen…RiyLee! I've made up my mind! We must solve the riddle of the Legacy before Runefaust! And protect the secret! …RiyLee, up until now, I've been quite cold towards you. I'm sorry. Can you still accept me as a comrade?"

I nodded, and then, somehow, my voice came back. "I already know the secret Mae…I'm part of it."

I didn't wait for an answer. The tears had overflowed. I just ran full sprint out of the room, the castle, the town, all the way down to the beach where I was found one year ago. I ran in as far as I could get, which was only about knee-high, sat down, and sobbed.

It started raining, hard. Raindrops pelted and soaked me in a matter of minutes.

My blood, tears and the rain ran down my cheeks, mixing together, and dripped off my chin into the ocean…the only reminder that this was all reality.


	16. Fact or Fiction

**Fact or Fiction**

I was out in the water for about half an hour until Ken found me and dragged me out. No, he didn't drag me out…he picked me up and carried me out, like how when the prince rescues the princess. There was a difference, though: I wasn't a princess, and if anyone said I was, then I didn't really want to be rescued. I just wanted to stay there crying.

Ken carried me to a near-by tree and put me down. It was still raining, but I didn't care. And neither did he, by the way he acted. He sat down with a huff, probably form carrying me. I didn't care; I just kept crying. Ken probably felt the need to comfort me, so he wrapped his arms around me and began stroking my hair and just kept shushing me, but in the nice way.

I'm still not sure what came over me. I don't know if it was me being thankful to have company or if all the tears just decided to restart or if I finally admitted to myself that I'm a girl and girls still have the right to cry, but I turned my body just enough so my face was buried in Ken's shoulder. His shirt soaked up most of the tears, but some of them fell off occasionally.

Ken didn't say anything, just sat there and held me and let me ruin his shirt with salt-water tears. Eventually, they finished, and then he started talking to me, whispering.

"What is going on, RiyLee?" Ok, did _everyone_ remember my real name? I shook my head in response. "RiyLee, tell me." Again, I shook my head. "Why?"

I found my voice, though it came out in a broken whisper. "Because you won't believe me.

"Try me." Ken sounded like he was sincere and serious…and like he actually _cared_ about me, something that hasn't happened in a really long time.

Again, I don't know what came over me. I just broke down and told Ken everything. From Darksol dragging me out of bed in the middle of the night outside in winter to me and Kane spending so much time together. I went from the very beginning all the way to why I was crying right now.

"…I mean, I guess I just never expected Kane to do that to me. That Kane would let Darksol win over him like that. And it really doesn't help that Kane and I are actual brother and sister and Darksol was just adopted. That just made me and Kane a little friendlier towards each other than to Darksol. But the adopted thing made Darksol hate us even more." I took a deep breath before speaking again. "And now you think that I'm some crazy nut-job with too many family problems and—"

"You're not s crazy nut-job." Ken cut me off. "Although, I admit you're dead-on about all the family problems." He added with a small laugh.

"It's not funny, Ken!"

He sighed. "So, let's see if I have this straight. Your dad is Dark Dragon; your Mom was killed by Darksol, your adopted older brother who was modified by your grandparents, The Ancients, to become the 'brain' of Dark Dragon. And you're crying because you just found out your twin brother, Kane, is being possessed by Darksol." Ken amazingly said it all in one breath, so he took a deep one. "Is that all, or did I miss something?"

I shook my head. "No, you got it all." Ken sighed in relief.

"Yeah, a _lot_ of family problems." We sat in silence for a few minutes, until Ken said, "Wow. You've been out of the water for probably an hour and a half, but you're still pale white and freezing." I looked at my hands. He was right. They were so white, I could see my veins, and they weren't very live-like.

With a gasp, I stood up quickly. Too quickly. As the blood started to reticulate, I fell over. Ken barely caught me.

"Ok, not all the blood has circulated yet." I said as Ken righted me.

"No." He agreed. "Here, let me help." And once again, he picked me up and carried me like the princess. It had stopped raining, but we were soaked. We eventually made it back into town, and people were staring at us. _A lot_ of people.

"RiyLee!" Tao called from somewhere. "RiyLee, are you okay?"

Ken put me down. "I'm fine… I think."

"Come on! Nova wants to talk to you at headquarters."

"Great."

The three of us walked through town, Ken and I soaking wet, Tao completely dry. When we arrived at headquarters, everyone was there: Lowe, Hans, Mae. Everyone.

"Ah, RiyLee," Nova said. "Welcome back."

"Ok. How many of you remember my real name?" I asked, slightly irritated.

Every hand went up.

"Great. Just great."

"Why did you lie to us?" Lowe asked, looking hurt,

"Look, it's a long, complicated story that I'm really _not_ supposed to tell you," I explained.

"But you can trust us," Luke insisted.

I sighed. "OK, look. The basics of it are," I hesitated, "I'm actually one-thousand and sixteen years old." Everyone's jaw dropped. "Remember when I washed up on the shore one year ago? Well, just a day before that, I had woken up from a thousand-year sleep. I was sent here with… _someone_… to stop Dark Dragon from being resurrected. Right before I fell asleep, though, I promised my mother that if I ever got into any serious trouble, I wouldn't give my real name."

"How are we 'serious trouble'?" Gort asked.

"Lowe, I washed onto shore with a pouch, right?" He nodded. "And remember how I said that the sword in that pouch was very important to me and that I needed it back?" Another nod. "Now, who remembers the sword _Kane_ left with?"

"You mean that white one?" Mae asked.

"That was the sword I was talking about!" _Finally!_ I thought. _A breakthrough!_ "The Light Saber. That was the sword in my pouch! That sword belonged to me, but you were all too stubborn to see it. _'It's not proper for a girl of your age to carry a sword such as that._' So you made me wait and _entire_ year before I finally got to see it. And when I did, _Kane_ takes it away. Now Runefaust has both swords. If Darksol gets hold of that book, then we're all doomed!"

Once again, never had my nerve.

"Now, RiyLee, I'm sure you're just imagining these things," Nova said.

"Tell me, Nova, how do you imagine a _king's death_? How do you imagine a fire coming out of nowhere and taking a life with it when it leaves?" Mae cringed. "I am one-thousand and sixteen years old. I know what I'm talking about."

"What book?" Tao asked.

"The Book of Secrets. I don't know where it is, but I know what it can do."

"Well, even if that is true—"

"It's fact, Nova, not fiction." I snapped.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We still need to get to Alterone. There is news that Kane has been seen there."

"Kane?" I asked.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Hans asked. "Every time someone mentions Kane, you freak out."

"It's the painful part of the long and complicated story. Now let's go!"

"First," Lowe said, "you need food." On cue, my stomach growled. Lowe touched my forearm, then pulled away from the coldness. "And a fire."

"Fine."

Ten minutes, there was a heavy blanket around my shoulders, a fire going on, and a mug of hot chocolate in front of me. Everyone had scattered, talking in small groups, or just sitting by themselves. Ken was next to me, trying to get me to talk. Mae walked over and sat down across from me.

"RiyLee?"

"Yes?"

"When we were in the castle, before you ran out, you said that you not only knew the secret, but that you're a part of it. What did you mean?"

"I know the secret because I was there when it happened, and I'm a part of it because I was sent here to stop it from happening."

"Oh." She was quiet for a moment. Then asked, "Well, if you know it, then why don't we just go straight to the problem and stop it there?"

"Because none of us are ready to face Darksol. I thought I was once, but I was wrong."

"What happened?"

I sighed. "He killed my companion. The one who was sent here with me. I tried fighting Darksol, but wasn't strong enough. My friend told me to run, that he would take care of it. I haven't seen either of them since that day."

"What day was that?"

"It was the day before I got washed ashore here."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Losing him. It must've been hard."

"It is." We sat in silence after that. After a few minutes Lowe came to check on me.

"I'm ready." I insisted. "Trust me, I'm fine."

"Alright. Let's go." Nova said.


End file.
